体坛英语新闻：22 Moroccan athletes to take part in Beijing athletics worlds

RABAT, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Morocco named a team of 22 athletes, including seven women athletes, to compete in the Beijing Athletics World Championships, and aims to go back to the podium after ending up empty-handed during the Moscow championships in 2013.

The Moroccan athletes are looking forward to reaffirming themselves medal-winners as in previous editions of the competition. Morocco won five medals in Seville, 1999, three in Edmonton, 2001, and three in Helsinki 2005.

The Moroccan male squad will be led by Abdelaati Iguider, bronze medalist in London Olympics and champion in 2014 World Indoor Championships. Iguider obtained the third best timing of the year at men's 1500m at three minutes 28.79 seconds on July 17.

Rabab Arafi, who won bronze medal in women's 1500m in African Championships, will take the lead of the female squad.

The Moroccan athletics team obtained 27 medals, 10 of which are gold, in the last 14 editions of World Championships.